The present invention generally relates to the field of computer data transfers and particularly to a protocol and controller suitable for managing multiple data transfer streams in a buffer for use in direct memory access (DMA).
Developments in computer technology have led to faster information handling systems capable of handling more data. Recent technological development have focused on the creation of hardware capable of handling more data in an increasingly efficient manner and on the creation of hardware protocols to increase the efficiency of the information handling system resources. Developments making more efficient use of the information handling system resources yield tremendous advantages over competing systems and result in superior information handling systems and increased cost savings.
Presently, when certain computing processes are carried out bottlenecks occur due to inefficient use of a particular resource. As a result, the inefficiently used resource becomes a limiting factor and the rate of the desired processes is then limited by the resource""s capability.
One such bottleneck occurs when data is streamed through a buffer for use in direct memory access (DMA) and media applications. Currently, data streams are typically transferred in tightly coupled flows through a buffer which are limited to the transfer of a single data stream. The effect of this type of operation is that buffer resources are then unable to be utilized for other streams of data. Thus, the transfer of data through the buffer limits the total amount of data transferred in DMA applications.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a protocol and hardware suitable for decoupling media and DMA transfers through a buffer resource for more efficient buffer resource utilization.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a buffer partitioning system and a method employing the system to dynamically partition buffer resources among multiple data streams. By including a buffer partitioning system, multiple data streams may be more efficiently transferred through buffer resources resulting in information handling systems with increased capabilities and cost savings. In a first aspect of the present invention, a buffer partitioning system includes a write pointer capable of virtually partitioning a buffer and directing streaming data to a segment of the buffer formed by the virtual partition, a status monitor suitable for reporting transfer status information, a byte counter suitable for determining the a total number of bytes in the data stream and a partitioning logic suitable for managing steaming data transfers through the buffer thus providing a dynamic partitioning buffer resources.
In a further embodiment of the present invention a buffer partitioning system may contain a read pointer communicatively linked to the write pointer. The read pointer may be capable of determining the segment of the buffer streaming data will be read. In addition, by linking the write pointer to the read pointer, the buffer partitioning system may derive additional information such as the number of bytes remaining to be read in the segment and the like.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.